“Genius product. I have slim toddlers with long legs which makes it difficult to buy pants. If they fit in the length they usually fall right off. Out comes our dapper snapper and we’re in business. Such a simple design for an easy fix to everyday mom problems. I have several sets that my toddlers share. I recommend removing the belt before washing pants as the first belt I bought really took a beating with all the washing and drying. I will say it is still in my lineup it’s just a big saggy compared to the ones I haven’t washed. I would recommend this to other moms. Just make sure you buy pants with belt loops to use these!! It’s shocking how many kids pants don’t have belt loops!”

“I have been looking for a belt for my two year-old, and having no success. I found these on Amazon and am very pleased with them. At first I thought they were a little pricey, but since I can’t find a small enough belt, and they work so well, I have decided they are definitely worth the money. They work for my three younger kids, ages 6, 2 and 1. My kids tend to be skinny with no rear end, and I use onesies to hold their diapers on! Dapper Snappers have solved that issue for me, holding up their pants very well. There is only one pair of pants with oddly spaced belt loops that they have not worked on so far.”

“Grandson is a slim build with no real butt bump so this was quite a handy little item. With the “belt” only in the back loops it will not hinder the potty training process either. Great idea.”

5 out of 5 stars“Wish I had invented these!” By: mbay2002 Verified Purchase

“Great! I don’t remember how I found these, it may have been searching through amazon for a “toddler belt”. Well these are even better… they snug up the pants from behind, so for potty training your toddler doesn’t have to deal with unbuckling a belt. My son had several pairs of droopy pants that would sometimes fall to his knees when he was playing. The elastic on the pants my have stretched a bit, but the pants were still in good shape. These snaps solved the problem — kept the pants on him tightly, yet made diaper changes and potty training a breeze. This is one of those items that is simple, yet sheer genius, I wish I would have thought of it!!! And I can clearly see how they would work from probably about 18 months up to 4 years.”

So, Wednesday I was on Amazon.com and I just happened across this (see below)… An item, that looks like Dapper Snappers, “Looks” is the key word here. Because if you look closely the snaps are different, as far as I can tell there might be more variations or differences but I do know that in reading the reviews, I clearly see that quality is for sure one of the things customers would be giving up when ordering these.

The reviews are in!

Here’s some Dapper Snapper reviews!

The whole “copying” my product thing might rub me the wrong way, but when they steal my photos… and they Photoshop their snaps onto my images…That really “buckles my belts”, so to speak!

Copy Cat Elastic belt – Photoshopped snaps

Dapper Snappers – my original image

I just don’t particularly care for thieves, but you know what they say, it’s a form of flattery, imitation that is.

…Infinitely complex. Or so they say. Who says? Why, the developers of the App “Lyne“, that’s who. I know it’s been a while since I reviewed an iPhone app here on the kids belts blog, but my love for them has not wavered!

One of my very favorite apps (because I get free stuff, well… free after I purchase things, so I guess not technically “free”) is the Starbucks app. I’m not going to take the time to review this app, but one of the cool things about the Starbucks app is that once a week or so they usually send a free app or song download, which is how I got Lyne. (Did you see it come full circle there?)

The premise of this game is simple, connect the shapes. As with most games, the first few levels are relatively simple, basically getting you used to how the game works.

Then they get more difficult. The lines can’t go through other shapes, meaning you can’t get from one triangle to the next by going through a diamond (or as my son calls it, a rhombus). There is an exception, though, you can use the octagon as a conduit to the other shapes.

This game is challenging but surprising calming. It’s almost zen-like. So grab your phone, find a quite spot and relax while you work out your brain!

Dapper Snappers are the perfect solution for your kids’ baggy pants. I was introduced to Dapper Snappers kids belts on Baby Steals about 4-5 years ago, and just love them! They come in a variety of colors and are super easy to use! We have had some of our Dapper Snappers for 2 years and they work as good as the first day we purchased them!

Dapper Snapper Review

I was excited when I received a Dapper Snapper to review. My grandson is a tank. He suffers from “toddler belly”. That is when your shirt rides up and your pants ride down, leaving the belly exposed! His parents can fix the shirt by just putting on a larger size, but the pants, well… larger just means larger! They still don’t fit but now the problem is that they are just too big and fall off. This is where Dapper Snapper comes to the rescue.

I love that Dapper Snappers are adjustable and since they are placed in the back, they do not interfere with a child dressing themselves, potty training or diapering. Once in place, the child will likely forget they even have it on.

What is so nice about this product, is whether your child is skinny and their pants are the right length but too big in the waist or have a more solid child and need the extra in the waist, Dapper Snapper belts will be a lifesaver!

Dapper Snapper toddler belt is not like any other belt, it is actually a sturdy piece of elastic with snaps on it.

Dapper Snappers are not just for toddlers! They come in a wide variety of colors and sizes – from toddlers to adults – they even have belts that will allow you to stay in your regular clothes longer when expecting.

To use a Dapper Snapper, simply slip each end of the belt through a couple of belt loops on any pair of pants. Fold back over the loop and snap long the line making the waist as snug as needed.

If your child like pants without belt loops, Dapper Snappers Clips will attach to the belts and you can still have the fit needed.

Dapper Snappers are available in Toddler Belts, Kids Belts, Boys Belts, Girls Belts, Clips for pants without loops, and even for men and women. This is truly a product that works for just about everyone!

Ah, radio, you have come a long way. Remember having one of those?? Me neither! I’m not that old, thank goodness! But I do remember the clunky radios we had in the 70′s and it amazes me that I can now listen to the radio on my phone/computer/iPad/iPod/etc…

At the kids belts office it tends to be one of two things, mind splittingly (yes it’s a word, or at least it is to me) quiet or ear drum shatteringly (yep, made up another one) noisy! Either way, I just can’t take it, so I turn to music. Usually, I turn to Pandora, however, I quickly meet my 40 hr limit and I really don’t want to pay for another subscription, so I found iHeartRadio and I love it.

According to their website, “iHeartRadio is a free, all-in-one digital radio service that lets you find more than 1,500 Live Stations or create commercial-free, all-music Custom Stations featuring songs from the artist you select and similar music.” Free?? Yes, free! Sweet, I love free!

What’s cool about iHeartRadio is that you can listen to actual radio shows from all over the country, including some local stations. I can’t do that on Pandora. Here’s more from their website, “Listen to more than 1,500 live radio stations from coast-to-coast including pop, country, urban, rock, talk, and college. Browse radio stations by music genre and location, then hit the scan button to move from radio station to radio station within a format. Let our DJs know what songs are hot or not by giving them a thumbs up or thumbs down.” What? you can rate the songs you hear on their stations? That’s awesome! Justin Bieber… thumbs down!

Don’t want to listen to a radio station? That’s ok, you can put in a song or artist and create your own station! You can listen for hours at a time uninterrupted without it asking “Are you still listening?” You can rate the songs it picks, just like Pandora and it won’t play them again. I think I’m addicted. I typed in “Going back to Cali” (gotta get some old skool LL Cool J) and the amazing thing is…. They actually played it! It was like the 3rd song in, Pandora isn’t like that at all. It takes forever for them to play the song you want to hear. It also has this cool little tuner dial where you can select from 3 options. 1. Familiar (plays mainstream songs that you are familiar with) 2. Mixed (includes lesser known songs that fall into whatever category you have chosen) 3. Less Familiar (will include songs you may have never heard, but might like). It’s nice having the variety.

This app is definitely on my must have list. You should check it out. Also, I want you to know that I have not been paid or anything to write this review. In fact, iHeartRadio has no idea that I am even writing it. I just wanted to share!

Does that image look familiar? It should, I used it when I blogged on my kids belts blog about “Magic Mesh“. Well, I did it again… I got sucked into the “As Seen on TV” section again. This time for a book, “Who Knew? 10,001 East Solutions to Everyday Problems”. I know, it’s a very wordy title, but an attractive one non the less.

I did get a bit distracted by some of the other items in that section…

There was this thing, that gives you that "I just stepped off the sun" look

This thing that makes sure you never have to do that whole bending thing again to wash your feet.

Then there's this old stand by... They seriously still sell these?

Who buys this stuff?? Oh wait, I do! Well, at least some of the cooler ones. I’ve never bought any of the ones I listed here, at least not that I’ll admit in public.

That’s enough goofing off, back to the book with the ridiculously long title.

Despite the silliness that is “As Seen On TV”, this book has some great tips! What I like is that the tips are short an sweet. There is no extensive reading. Thank goodness, cause who has time for reading?? Here are a few samples of their simple solutions:

Freshen ShoesGet rid of nasty odors by sprinkling salt in them and leaving them overnight. The salt will absorb moisture.

Light Candles without burning fingersTo light hard-to-reach wicks at the bottom of jar candles, use an uncooked strand of spaghetti. Light the end of it, then use it like a fireplace match.

Makin’ Bacon?Always rinse bacon under cold water before frying — it will reduce the amount the bacon shrinks when you cook it.

Dryer Lint
Instead of throwing away lint you’ve cleaned out of your dryer’s screen, use it as kindling for your fireplace. It lights quickly and can be stuffed places paper can’t.

Worry-Free CarvingTo quickly and easily sanitize a cutting board, rub salt into it with a wedge of lemon.

Aren’t those handy tips? This book is filled with 9,996 more just like them! There are chapters on tips for how to use lemons, salt, baking soda, vinegar, oil, foil and duct tape and then 17 more chapters on time- and money-saving tips.

You should get this book! I do really like this book and fell like it was worth my small investment. I’m sure I’ll make my money back in no time utilizing some of their tips!

I got sucked in… I innocently downloaded a game on my break from making kids belts, and now I’m hooked. Well, hooked until I get bored with it, you know my attention span is very small.

The game is 4 Pics 1 Word. It’s a ridiculously simple premise for a game, but strangely addicting. You are given 4 pictures, a bunch of letters to choose from and there is one thing that they all have in common. Whatever that is, is the answer. Seems easy, right? Well, yes and no. Some of the puzzles are super easy.

Take this one for example:

Easy, right? (Round, the answer is round.) There are quite a few that are this easy and I think they do that to suck you in. “Hey, look, I’m so smart that I figured out all of these levels!”

And then, BOOM! You are hit with this level:

Not impossible, but definitely a little more difficult. (Spoiler alert, the answer is address). Then they throw this one at you:

This one took me a while, but I did get it. (Plenty) The one thing I like is that they vary so it keeps my attention. You can facebook it, and you can get hints (costs you coins). The hints involve revealing letters and removing them. Sometimes, those hint are the only way I made it through a level. If you have aced every level, don’t brag, it’s not nice and you make me feel dumb, but kudos to you! I’m not to proud to say “way to go”!

Anyway, try it out. I think you’ll like it, just don’t blame me when you aren’t getting anything else done because you are trying to figure out what the pictures have in common. Enjoy!

I am self-admittedly addicted to iPhone apps. And while I love apps, they are, most certainly, not all created equal. In my quest to be a healthier kids belt inventor, I stumbled across an app called Strava.

This app is like a lot of the fitness apps out there. It promises to keep track of your run, bike ride, etc…, as well as keep track of calories burned, pace, moving time and more. You can even link up with friends who have a Strava account (free).

The run detail is pretty detailed in that it shows you how well you did on each mile. That’s a pretty cool feature that a lot of the other fitness apps don’t include. The cycling app does pretty much the same thing, only for cycling, go figure!

Here’s the down side, the GPS function is very unreliable. Now, to be fair, I can’t say with any certainty that my phone isn’t the problem, but I haven’t had any issues before.

Why is the GPS important? Well, the way the app works is that it measures your distance and the amount of time it took you to cover that distance to come up with the amount of calories burned. If the GPS is off (like it has been the last 4 times I have used it) it will say that you ran 9 miles and burned 1,000+ calories when in actuality you ran 3 miles and probably burned about 400 calories.

I am the type of person that is results oriented, so I want to see approximately how many calories I burned and 1,000+ is not a good approximate number.

Also, in the cycling app, I think the calorie counter is WAYYYY off. Why? Oh, just because I biked 12.1 miles a few weeks ago and it said I only burned 154 calories. IMPOSSIBLE! Impossible, I say. I did it in about an hour (which meant in my world that I was booking it) and I had to burn more than 154 calories. I can walk our local bridge (1 mile) three times (about 45 mins) and burn over 400 calories.

Anyway, my point is that this app may be a little misleading, so if you are very interested in your actual time, calories burned, distance, etc… maybe you should opt for another app.

Back in February I reviewed eMeals, which is a meal planning website. I really liked the service and I highly recommended it to everyone, and still do. However, I came across this other really cool site recently, called Food on the Table. This site is very similar in that it does diet specific menu plans with recipes utilizing the sales at your local stores, but the best part about this site is that it’s free! Yep, you heard me right, FREE, just click here and the promo code is already entered for you!!

This site is great. When you log in, it takes you through a step by step to get your account set up. You get to choose the stores where you shop, your food preferences (low-fat, low-carb, gluten free, vegetarian), the recipes you want for the week, and then it gives you your shopping list! What’s really convenient is that you can also add random items to your shopping list so that you have everything in one place, and I don’t know if your desk looks like my desk at the kids belts office, but the less paper the better! If you have a smart phone or tablet, you can also download their app, and you know me and iPhone/iPad apps… I’ve got to have them!

The recipes are really easy to follow. I think all of them are ready in under an hour and most are under 30 minutes. A 30 minute meal? I think I can even handle that! Once you have finished editing your shopping list, the next option is how you would like to receive your list. You can get it in almost any way imaginable, except by carrier pigeon… That’s a shame to, cause I would love to receive something by carrier pigeon. Anyway, you can print just your grocery list, just the recipes or both. You can also email the grocery list to yourself or send it to your iPhone! You gotta love technology!

This site even sends you notices that it’s time to set up your next weeks worth of meals, as well as new dinner ideas. I really like what this site offers and the best part, like I said before, is that it’s free for life! So at least if you try it out and don’t like it, you aren’t losing anything!